Tales from the BRABAR Studio: Small Band, Small Bust, What To Find For You?

It is rather difficult for a person with a petite ribcage (26-30 band) and a small bust (AA-C cups) to find a perfect-fitting bra that's not too big in the band or the cup. BRABAR strives to educate tweens, teens, and young adults about the proper fit of a bra and how to find it. Many other brands don't carry the smaller band sizes, so they use a sister-sizing method that can be very confusing to someone who always thought they were a 32A when in reality they hadn't been.

Many guests to BRABAR Studio are surprised when they get measured and find out that the size they had been wearing had been incorrect all along. It's part of why so many people don't like wearing bras - they just want to take it off as soon as they get home because it doesn't fit correctly.

A Real Fitting

This happened some months ago at the BRABAR Studio with a young woman looking for good everyday bras for her new job. She told me she was a 32B, but even when someone is sure about their size, it's always good to double-check with a proper measurement.

So I offered to measure her, and she agreed. She measured a 30-inch ribcage measurement, making her band a 30. Her overbust measurement was 32.5 inches, rounded to the nearest whole number of 33. Subtracting the 30 band from the 33 overbust gives a difference of 3 inches - a C cup. Her actual bra size was 30C.

A 30C is a difficult size to find in stores. A small band and a small bust meant most options were a band too big and a cup too small - never a perfect fit.

What I Recommended for Everyday Wear

I suggested the following bras for everyday use for a petite person with a 30C bra size:

• The Everyday Bra - a versatile, all-day supportive bra with a back closure, removable cups, and adjustable straps. Comes in Black, Mushroom, and Natural Gray.
• The Soft Cami - a fan-favorite, seamless, unlined double-layer wire-free bra top, and a great starter teen bralette.
• The Soft Crop/Convertible Multiway Bra - wearable as a backless halter, criss-cross style, or with fully adjustable cami straps.
• The Cotton Stretch U-Back Bralette - an elegant, breathable U-back design with medium-impact support for daily activities.
• The Everyday Longline Cami - a sophisticated longline cami bra for layering, with a keyhole back closure.
• The Soft Day Bra - combines the ease of a bralette with surprising support, in Black, White, and Ballet Pink.
• The Soft V Laceback Bralette - a reversible V-neck lace back bralette, nice enough to show with open-back or backless tops.

What She Chose

In the end, the young woman bought a Soft Day Bra, a Soft V Laceback Bralette, and a Cotton Stretch U-Back Bralette for her everyday needs - a classic bra for work, a medium-impact option for yoga and walking, and a stylish lace bralette for open-back tops. She was happy to learn her correct band and cup size, and how they related to each other. Finding the correct band and bust measurements is the key to finding the bra that actually fits you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is a 30C so hard to find in stores?

A smaller band paired with a moderate cup is one of the most underserved size combinations in mainstream retail - most stores carry a much narrower range of bands than cup sizes, so bands like 30 are often missing entirely.

What happens when someone wears a band that's too big?

The bra ends up not fitting snugly around the ribcage, which is where support should come from. The cup also ends up too small relative to the larger band, creating spillage or an ill-fitting shape even if the cup letter seems right.

Should I always double-check my bra size even if I'm confident in it?

Yes. It's common for someone to be confident in a size they've worn for years, using a sister-sizing method that was actually inaccurate the entire time. A quick re-measurement often reveals a real difference.

The Cheat Sheet

• Measure Underbust: Wrap a soft measuring tape right below your breasts. Round to the nearest even whole number for your band size.
• Measure Overbust: Wrap the tape over the fullest part of your breasts. Round to the nearest whole number for your bust size.
• Calculate Cup Size: Subtract your band size from your bust size. Each inch of difference is one cup size, from A up through DDD/F.

Use BRABAR's Fit Guide and Bra Size Calculator to measure yourself accurately at home.